All eight crew members missing after fishing boat capsizes off Hokkaido
All eight crew members of a fishing boat are missing after it capsized 600 kilometers off Hokkaido on Tuesday, the Japan Coast Guard said Wednesday. An overturned vessel found by a search aircraft east of Nemuro on Tuesday was confirmed to be the Keiei Maru ...
Hokkaido man with HIV awarded damages after being denied hospital job over condition
The Sapporo District Court court on Tuesday ordered a hospital operator in Sapporo to pay a man ¥1.65 million in damages after it refused to employ him last year for failing to report being HIV-positive. The court ruled that the Hokkaido man, in his 30s, ...
Hokkaido marks first anniversary of earthquake that left 44 people dead
Hokkaido on Friday marked the first anniversary of a powerful earthquake that claimed 44 lives and triggered the nation's first prefecture-wide blackout. The magnitude 6.7 quake jolted Hokkaido in the early hours of Sept. 6, injuring 785 people and damaging thousands of homes. Hundreds of thousands ...
Scientists unveil Japan's largest dinosaur yet, a herbivore that lumbered along coasts of Hokkaido
Japanese scientists have identified a new species of dinosaur from a nearly complete skeleton that was the largest ever discovered in the country, measuring eight meters long. After analyzing hundreds of bones dating back 72 million years, the team led by Hokkaido University concluded the ...
Casino giants crank up PR to snag first Japanese resort licenses
Since the enactment of a law in July 2018 legalizing casino gambling in Japan, large resort operators from the United States have been boosting public relations efforts as they plan bids to enter the budding market. With the law set to allow up to three ...
Donations to quake-hit towns in Hokkaido rose sharply in fiscal 2018
Donations to three towns in Hokkaido hit by a powerful earthquake last year expanded sharply in fiscal 2018 under the government's furusato nōzei (hometown tax donation) system, according to local municipalities. Under the plan, which allows taxpayers to contribute to their hometowns or other municipalities ...
Russia plans to beef up missile defense on northern Kurils, close to islands claimed by Japan
A document revealed that a new land-to-ship missile system that has a range of more than 300 kilometers could be deployed on Paramushir and Matua in the chain.
Japan nears catch quota for minke whales as hunt resumes off Hokkaido
Japanese whaling ships on Monday resumed hunting minke whales in coastal areas off Hokkaido, and are likely to reach their catch quota later this month. Since restarting commercial whaling in July for the first time in 31 years, the government has set a catch quota ...
In Hokkaido, Japan's youngest governor seen as 'safe driver,' but critics want him to go off script
When 38-year-old Naomichi Suzuki was elected governor of Hokkaido in April, he simultaneously achieved another feat: becoming the youngest serving prefectural leader in the nation. Although some initially counted on the young Suzuki to be communicative, or even outspoken, he has so far trodden carefully, ...
Volvo unit's autonomous truck goes the distance in test as Hokkaido faces driver shortage
The Japanese unit of Sweden's AB Volvo demonstrated for journalists on Thursday a highly autonomous truck at a sugar factory in Hokkaido, where it moved for about 1.5 kilometers (1 mile) without the involvement of a human driver. UD Trucks Corp. said the test, which ...
Mother seeks donations to build evacuation shelter in Hokkaido for people with disabilities
The mother of a man with an intellectual disability has launched a crowdfunding campaign to build an evacuation center where people with disabilities can feel safe. She started her efforts following a powerful earthquake that hit Hokkaido in September last year. Akiko Aoki, 51, a ...
A museum in Hokkaido is holding a rare exhibition on the culture of the Sami, an indigenous people of northern Europe and Russia, displaying some 140 items including their craftworks through Oct. 14. Such an exhibition focused on their culture is very rare, according to ...
